Chapter III. Tom's meeting with the Prince.

by Mark Twain

　　Tom got up hungry, and sauntered hungry away, but with histhoughts busy with the shadowy splendours of his night's dreams.He wandered here and there in the city, hardly noticing where hewas going, or what was happening around him. People jostled him,and some gave him rough speech; but it was all lost on the musingboy. By-and-by he found himself at Temple Bar, the farthest fromhome he had ever travelled in that direction. He stopped andconsidered a moment, then fell into his imaginings again, andpassed on outside the walls of London. The Strand had ceased tobe a country-road then, and regarded itself as a street, but by astrained construction; for, though there was a tolerably compactrow of houses on one side of it, there were only some scatteredgreat buildings on the other, these being palaces of rich nobles,with ample and beautiful grounds stretching to the river--groundsthat are now closely packed with grim acres of brick and stone.Tom discovered Charing Village presently, and rested himself atthe beautiful cross built there by a bereaved king of earlierdays; then idled down a quiet, lovely road, past the greatcardinal's stately palace, toward a far more mighty and majesticpalace beyond--Westminster. Tom stared in glad wonder at the vastpile of masonry, the wide-spreading wings, the frowning bastionsand turrets, the huge stone gateway, with its gilded bars and itsmagnificent array of colossal granite lions, and other the signsand symbols of English royalty. Was the desire of his soul to besatisfied at last? Here, indeed, was a king's palace. Might henot hope to see a prince now--a prince of flesh and blood, ifHeaven were willing?At each side of the gilded gate stood a living statue--that is tosay, an erect and stately and motionless man-at-arms, clad fromhead to heel in shining steel armour. At a respectful distancewere many country folk, and people from the city, waiting for anychance glimpse of royalty that might offer. Splendid carriages,with splendid people in them and splendid servants outside, werearriving and departing by several other noble gateways thatpierced the royal enclosure.Poor little Tom, in his rags, approached, and was moving slowlyand timidly past the sentinels, with a beating heart and a risinghope, when all at once he caught sight through the golden bars ofa spectacle that almost made him shout for joy. Within was acomely boy, tanned and brown with sturdy outdoor sports andexercises, whose clothing was all of lovely silks and satins,shining with jewels; at his hip a little jewelled sword anddagger; dainty buskins on his feet, with red heels; and on hishead a jaunty crimson cap, with drooping plumes fastened with agreat sparkling gem. Several gorgeous gentlemen stood near--hisservants, without a doubt. Oh! he was a prince--a prince, aliving prince, a real prince--without the shadow of a question;and the prayer of the pauper-boy's heart was answered at last.Tom's breath came quick and short with excitement, and his eyesgrew big with wonder and delight. Everything gave way in his mindinstantly to one desire: that was to get close to the prince, andhave a good, devouring look at him. Before he knew what he wasabout, he had his face against the gate-bars. The next instantone of the soldiers snatched him rudely away, and sent himspinning among the gaping crowd of country gawks and Londonidlers. The soldier said,--"Mind thy manners, thou young beggar!"The crowd jeered and laughed; but the young prince sprang to thegate with his face flushed, and his eyes flashing withindignation, and cried out,--"How dar'st thou use a poor lad like that? How dar'st thou usethe King my father's meanest subject so? Open the gates, and lethim in!"You should have seen that fickle crowd snatch off their hats then.You should have heard them cheer, and shout, "Long live the Princeof Wales!"The soldiers presented arms with their halberds, opened the gates,and presented again as the little Prince of Poverty passed in, inhis fluttering rags, to join hands with the Prince of LimitlessPlenty.Edward Tudor said--"Thou lookest tired and hungry: thou'st been treated ill. Comewith me."Half a dozen attendants sprang forward to--I don't know what;interfere, no doubt. But they were waved aside with a right royalgesture, and they stopped stock still where they were, like somany statues. Edward took Tom to a rich apartment in the palace,which he called his cabinet. By his command a repast was broughtsuch as Tom had never encountered before except in books. Theprince, with princely delicacy and breeding, sent away theservants, so that his humble guest might not be embarrassed bytheir critical presence; then he sat near by, and asked questionswhile Tom ate."What is thy name, lad?""Tom Canty, an' it please thee, sir.""'Tis an odd one. Where dost live?""In the city, please thee, sir. Offal Court, out of PuddingLane.""Offal Court! Truly 'tis another odd one. Hast parents?""Parents have I, sir, and a grand-dam likewise that is butindifferently precious to me, God forgive me if it be offence tosay it--also twin sisters, Nan and Bet.""Then is thy grand-dam not over kind to thee, I take it?""Neither to any other is she, so please your worship. She hath awicked heart, and worketh evil all her days.""Doth she mistreat thee?""There be times that she stayeth her hand, being asleep orovercome with drink; but when she hath her judgment clear again,she maketh it up to me with goodly beatings."A fierce look came into the little prince's eyes, and he criedout--"What! Beatings?""Oh, indeed, yes, please you, sir.""Beatings!--and thou so frail and little. Hark ye: before thenight come, she shall hie her to the Tower. The King my father"--"In sooth, you forget, sir, her low degree. The Tower is for thegreat alone.""True, indeed. I had not thought of that. I will consider of herpunishment. Is thy father kind to thee?""Not more than Gammer Canty, sir.""Fathers be alike, mayhap. Mine hath not a doll's temper. Hesmiteth with a heavy hand, yet spareth me: he spareth me notalways with his tongue, though, sooth to say. How doth thy motheruse thee?""She is good, sir, and giveth me neither sorrow nor pain of anysort. And Nan and Bet are like to her in this.""How old be these?""Fifteen, an' it please you, sir.""The Lady Elizabeth, my sister, is fourteen, and the Lady JaneGrey, my cousin, is of mine own age, and comely and graciouswithal; but my sister the Lady Mary, with her gloomy mien and--Look you: do thy sisters forbid their servants to smile, lest thesin destroy their souls?""They? Oh, dost think, sir, that they have servants?"The little prince contemplated the little pauper gravely a moment,then said--"And prithee, why not? Who helpeth them undress at night? Whoattireth them when they rise?""None, sir. Would'st have them take off their garment, and sleepwithout--like the beasts?""Their garment! Have they but one?""Ah, good your worship, what would they do with more? Truly theyhave not two bodies each.""It is a quaint and marvellous thought! Thy pardon, I had notmeant to laugh. But thy good Nan and thy Bet shall have raimentand lackeys enow, and that soon, too: my cofferer shall look toit. No, thank me not; 'tis nothing. Thou speakest well; thouhast an easy grace in it. Art learned?""I know not if I am or not, sir. The good priest that is calledFather Andrew taught me, of his kindness, from his books.""Know'st thou the Latin?""But scantly, sir, I doubt.""Learn it, lad: 'tis hard only at first. The Greek is harder;but neither these nor any tongues else, I think, are hard to theLady Elizabeth and my cousin. Thou should'st hear those damselsat it! But tell me of thy Offal Court. Hast thou a pleasant lifethere?""In truth, yes, so please you, sir, save when one is hungry.There be Punch-and-Judy shows, and monkeys--oh such anticcreatures! and so bravely dressed!--and there be plays whereinthey that play do shout and fight till all are slain, and 'tis sofine to see, and costeth but a farthing--albeit 'tis main hard toget the farthing, please your worship.""Tell me more.""We lads of Offal Court do strive against each other with thecudgel, like to the fashion of the 'prentices, sometimes."The prince's eyes flashed. Said he--"Marry, that would not I mislike. Tell me more.""We strive in races, sir, to see who of us shall be fleetest.""That would I like also. Speak on.""In summer, sir, we wade and swim in the canals and in the river,and each doth duck his neighbour, and splatter him with water, anddive and shout and tumble and--""'Twould be worth my father's kingdom but to enjoy it once!Prithee go on.""We dance and sing about the Maypole in Cheapside; we play in thesand, each covering his neighbour up; and times we make mudpastry--oh the lovely mud, it hath not its like for delightfulnessin all the world!--we do fairly wallow in the mud, sir, savingyour worship's presence.""Oh, prithee, say no more, 'tis glorious! If that I could butclothe me in raiment like to thine, and strip my feet, and revelin the mud once, just once, with none to rebuke me or forbid,meseemeth I could forego the crown!""And if that I could clothe me once, sweet sir, as thou art clad--just once--""Oho, would'st like it? Then so shall it be. Doff thy rags, anddon these splendours, lad! It is a brief happiness, but will benot less keen for that. We will have it while we may, and changeagain before any come to molest."A few minutes later the little Prince of Wales was garlanded withTom's fluttering odds and ends, and the little Prince of Pauperdomwas tricked out in the gaudy plumage of royalty. The two went andstood side by side before a great mirror, and lo, a miracle:there did not seem to have been any change made! They stared ateach other, then at the glass, then at each other again. At lastthe puzzled princeling said--"What dost thou make of this?""Ah, good your worship, require me not to answer. It is not meetthat one of my degree should utter the thing.""Then will I utter it. Thou hast the same hair, the same eyes,the same voice and manner, the same form and stature, the sameface and countenance that I bear. Fared we forth naked, there isnone could say which was you, and which the Prince of Wales. And,now that I am clothed as thou wert clothed, it seemeth I should beable the more nearly to feel as thou didst when the brute soldier--Hark ye, is not this a bruise upon your hand?""Yes; but it is a slight thing, and your worship knoweth that thepoor man-at-arms--""Peace! It was a shameful thing and a cruel!" cried the littleprince, stamping his bare foot. "If the King--Stir not a steptill I come again! It is a command!"In a moment he had snatched up and put away an article of nationalimportance that lay upon a table, and was out at the door andflying through the palace grounds in his bannered rags, with a hotface and glowing eyes. As soon as he reached the great gate, heseized the bars, and tried to shake them, shouting--"Open! Unbar the gates!"The soldier that had maltreated Tom obeyed promptly; and as theprince burst through the portal, half-smothered with royal wrath,the soldier fetched him a sounding box on the ear that sent himwhirling to the roadway, and said--"Take that, thou beggar's spawn, for what thou got'st me from hisHighness!"The crowd roared with laughter. The prince picked himself out ofthe mud, and made fiercely at the sentry, shouting--"I am the Prince of Wales, my person is sacred; and thou shalthang for laying thy hand upon me!"The soldier brought his halberd to a present-arms and saidmockingly--"I salute your gracious Highness." Then angrily-- "Be off, thoucrazy rubbish!"Here the jeering crowd closed round the poor little prince, andhustled him far down the road, hooting him, and shouting--"Way for his Royal Highness! Way for the Prince of Wales!"